


state of grace

by multiverse (infrequency)



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Spider-Man Fusion, Domestic Fluff, Introspection, M/M, Minor Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-26
Updated: 2020-12-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:35:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28335492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/infrequency/pseuds/multiverse
Summary: "Hi babe," Jeonghan had smiled, teeth stained red and white. "I'm Spider-Man. Can you help me get this bullet out?"Or, this is the worthwhile fight.
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan
Comments: 14
Kudos: 71





	state of grace

**Author's Note:**

> this exists outside of and separately from [you, on my skin.](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1901848)

As he swings home, every breath is a rib-cracking ache. Breathe in, his chest expands. The pain bears down and stabs. Breathe out, contracting, and it alleviates itself. Just for a moment. To an extent.

\--

Seungcheol's sturdy hands are on him within seconds of sliding inside the open window.

"It's my shoulder," Jeonghan explains, but Seungcheol is already unzipping the suit from his body with the patience that only months of practice can give. It's second nature now, along with a permanent worry line embedded into Seungcheol's forehead.

Jeonghan can see his expression harden in the sliding glass door as he surveys the damage. He doesn't say the words sitting on his tongue, but Jeonghan can hear them echo in his mind; they cut deeper than glass any exploding glass, burns deeper than any flame. 

_You're going to get yourself killed one day._

The last time he'd said it, Jeonghan had laughed it off. "I’m more resilient than you think, Cheol," and then 24 hours later, he'd gotten thrown through a concrete parking deck and heard several of his bones snap at impact with those words still on his mind, and Seungcheol's fear floating to the forefront.

Even with all of Jeonghan's resilience, Seungcheol was right to be afraid. Being in love with a superhero is more cons than pros. Every time he gets knocked down, Jeonghan adds another bullet to the list of cons.

Seungcheol works quietly as he cleans the wounds – Jeonghan grips the table and bites down on his tongue until he tastes new blood, sharp and acidic against his palette – holding the gash together as he stitches it shut. _A pro at this_ , Jeonghan thinks sarcastically, _learning how to sew your boyfriend back together._

Lips press to the top of his spine. Jeonghan shivers.

"Done."

The Spider-Man suit gets peeled all the way off and gets thrown into a corner for tomorrow's Jeonghan to worry about. Tomorrow’s Jeonghan will survey it for tears and sew them shut. Tomorrow's Jeonghan will put the suit back on under his clothes before he leaves for work and will live to fight another day. Tonight's Jeonghan droops into Seungcheol's arms and lets himself get taken care of.

He's stopped putting up a fight on this front weeks ago. Cracking through the ice and making Jeonghan give into him has always been Seungcheol's own superpower, even in the beginning, when Jeonghan thought it would be silly to let someone in. Seungcheol hums to himself tunelessly as he massages his fingers through Jeonghan's hair, working out the rubble and soot. His fingers feel like magic.

"They said," he sounds unsure, but continues on anyway. "It was an apartment fire on the scanner."

Jeonghan snorts, closing his eyes as the stream falls over his head. "So, you've been listening to the scanner again."

Silence for a beat. Then two.

"I worry." He sounds ashamed of the worry, and Jeonghan feels the knot in his chest come undone.

Anything he’d have to offer is useless and futile, but it’s a reflex. “You shouldn't."

Silence falls between them as the suds rinse out. Once Seungcheol deems his handiwork adequate, he speaks again. "But I do worry about you."

Jeonghan turns and wraps an arm around Seungcheol's waist, and lets the shower rain onto his skin. Seungcheol's body feels warm against his, and the water is starting to run cold. Hands come up to rest on Jeonghan's waist, clinging tight. He doesn't have to say what he's thinking.

"Love you," Jeonghan says, breathing him in. 

All of his resistance is gone, left outside of their four walls with the burden of a secret identity and of saving a city. Becoming a superhero isn't something Jeonghan had ever wanted. Once upon a time, he'd craved adventure to break up the monotony, but this new life is nothing but disruption. It’s missed phone calls and even more missed dates, and grabbing slices of silence where he can get it.

He'd made it to his mid-20s before he found Seungcheol. It had been 3 months of hiding his other life before Jeonghan had just been too tired to care anymore.

Seungcheol had gotten his wake-up call in the form of Jeonghan nearly bleeding out on his apartment floor with a fresh bullet wound. Hubris or stupidity, or a little bit of both. The fourth wall broken. A hero unmasked.

"Hi babe," Jeonghan had smiled, teeth stained red and white. "I'm Spider-Man. Can you help me get this bullet out?"

Despite somehow finding the energy to protest, Jeonghan lets Seungcheol carry him out of the bathroom with little struggle. His body is sorer than he realized, feeling the aches as he watches Seungcheol dig around for clothing.

A fire is a non-issue. Doesn’t blip the radar. Just another day at the office. But he feels that weight on his shoulders shift, and wonders just how much of a burden he’s making the one person he loves most carry.

_You're going to get yourself killed one day._

They dress in silence, and Jeonghan slips under the sheets first, snuggling his way to the center of the bed.

The quiet is starting to be too much for his cloudy brain, the echoes of screams and roaring flames still loud in Jeonghan’s ears.

"Say something?" he asks, trying to steady his breathing.

Seungcheol doesn’t stop moving, crawling under the duvet to meet him halfway. "What do you want me to say?"

Jeonghan fusses with his still drying hair before finally tucking it behind his ears. "Just–” He closes his eyes, still trying to shake the day loose. His brain is still foggy. “Something. Anything."

Seungcheol sighs, reaching out for his hands. He sounds as tired as Jeonghan feels. "I’m always scared that you're gonna die."

He reopens his eyes just in time to see that worry line reappear. Jeonghan reaches up to smooth it out under his fingers. He leans forward, kissing at the tiny beauty marks on Seungcheol's skin. His eyelashes flutter shut. He's so beautiful up close.

"Babe, we're _all_ gonna die."

The joke doesn’t land. Seungcheol frowns. Jeonghan deflates a little and plants a kiss on his lips. He kisses back, slow and shallow. Jeonghan can feel it again. The shifting weight. "Nothing can keep me away from you," he says finally, pressing their foreheads together.

When Seungcheol reopens his eyes, they're wide and searching. Whatever they settle on, it's not something he likes. That shared weight comes back to roost on Jeonghan’s chest.

"I would never ask you to stop for me," Seungcheol sounds defeated in reply. "Because were it the other way around, it'd be the same." Jeonghan nods, short and curt, letting their fingers weave together finally. Were it the other way around, Jeonghan doesn't think he'd be able to stomach it, but deep down, Seungcheol is right.

"Just be careful."

Jeonghan thinks about the nights he didn't come home with the rust in his mouth and the blood on his knuckles, blood seeping into every formerly pristine cotton shirt. the things that he'll never let Seungcheol see of this world, the lengths he'd do to protect him.

When he leans forward to kiss Seungcheol again, it's a promise. And it's enough for both of them. For now. Jeonghan worries about the day that it will stop being enough and holds Seungcheol tighter.

As he drifts off to sleep, Seungcheol whispers “I love you,” breath warming Jeonghan’s skin. The answer comes with hesitance. Three heartbeats too many. “I know.”

**Author's Note:**

> an anon asked me what idols i would make spiderpeople in my personal spiderverse and the obvious answer was right in front of me. 
> 
> also was feeling sad about into the spider-verse getting taken off netflix, salty about mcu news, and all the feelings always about [you, on my skin.](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1901848)
> 
> [twitter](HTTP://twitter.com/infrequenced) // [cc](HTTP://curiouscat.qa/infrequenced)


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